As many of you know, both my Husband and I have watched “The Voice” since it first came on the air. Obviously, as a singer, I find it interesting, but he does, too. We both like the fact that during the “Blind Auditions”, the judges cannot see the contestants. This eliminates the tendency to judge people based on what they look like, how they dress, carry themselves, how old they are, amongst other things. We are not generally fans of “reality T.V.” per se, as there is a lot of garbage out there, clearly. This show, however, deeply engages us week after week.

One of the reasons we enjoy watching the show so much is that the coaches – Christina, Blake, Adam, and Cee-Lo – genuinely seem to care about their teams. ( not just because they want someone from their team to “win” the show, but because they truly want to help nurture them as artists ) It is always interesting watching the process, as the artists learn, grow, conquer fears, and try new things that the coaches suggest.

Both of us tend to root for the “Underdogs” – the shy, quiet people without much self-confidence – often the ones that have had a very hard life, or are a bit older. I fully understand what it feels like to love to sing more than anything else in the world, but to be painfully shy, and doubt yourself constantly. It isn’t easy, and I commend these people for having the guts to do this, even though it likely terrifies them. I find it very emotional watching their segments, when they talk about how much music means to them, and how much doing well on the show could change their lives. I can only imagine how mind-blowingly awesome it would be to have the opportunity for that kind of exposure and mentoring. ( sadly, there is still no equivalent of this show in Canada )

Although there are a lot of shy competitors, there are also some that come across as over-confident, ( yes, this may just be false bravado ) even cocky. Some of these people tend to say things in the clips that we don’t think are very nice, especially during the Battle Rounds. We get that it is a competition, but there is never any need to say bad things about others. Nothing is more of a turn-off than a loud, obnoxious, in-your-face person who basically says they are going to beat the other person, hands down. We always smile when these over-confident people lose to the shy, quiet polite ones. 🙂 Perhaps they will learn to keep their ego in check, in future.

As for Season 3 so far, there is a lot of talent ! The Blind Auditions and the Battle Rounds are complete, and on Monday, the Playoff Round began. ( The second part of that will be airing tomorrow night. ) The teams right now are narrowed down to 5 members each. Blake and Adam’s teams performed on Monday, and tomorrow night, Christina and Cee-Lo’s teams sing. Starting this week, the audience ( in the U.S.) will have a say as to what happens – they are able to vote for their favourite contestants now .

So far, our favourite on Christina’s team is De’borah – she has an incredible voice, a great vibe, and she is completely ” herself ” all the time. It’s like she doesn’t even have to try – she’s just such a cool person. ( and what’s even more appealing is that she is modest and humble about her talent )

On Blake’s team, my husband and I like Michaela Paige for her unique style, consistently good voice, and her stage presence. Liz Davis is the perfect Country singer, in so many ways, and Terry McDermott is the classic “rocker” that keeps the audience engaged.

We feel the strongest players on Adam’s team are Melanie Martinez, who has a hauntingly beautiful voice, and fabulous style, and Amanda Brown, who comes across as a seasoned pro. They both seem to be “the total package” – phenomenal voices, they know how to present themselves, work the stage, and capture the audience’s full attention at all times.

Ceelo’s best team members, in our opinion, are the smooth-as-silk Trevin Hunte, and the funky, soulful Nicholas David. Both of these guys have unreal voices, full of emotion and conviction, when they sing.

It will be interesting to see how things play out, over the next few weeks. One thing is for sure: it will be very entertaining and inspiring, and we will be watching!